Tycoon For Auction (HQR Silhouette Desire) Read online

“I’m not like other guys, Cori.”

  “I don’t think you’re all that different,” she said.

  “You’re right. Maybe it’s ego or wishful thinking.”

  “I don’t think it’s ego,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  “There’s something solid about you, Rand.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at her and she knew he was trying to tease her into leaving off this conversation. “I hoped you’d notice.”

  She let him change the subject but promised herself she’d dig deeper later. “It’s hard not to.”

  “Come over her and kiss me before I leave.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’ll make the day shorter.” She was helpless to deny him. And after she’d kissed him and he walked away, she worried that she was losing herself. Not so much because her goals no longer seemed important, but because for the first time it didn’t matter if they weren’t.

  Rand was late. Traffic on I-4 was a bitch and unless he missed his guess it was going to be more like eleven when he got to Corrine’s place. He’d had Kelly, his secretary, call Corrine and tell her he wasn’t going to be able to make it. So why was he still heading for Kaley Street and her house?

  He knew the answer. Despite the fact that he’d never been good at interpersonal relationships, there was a part of him that liked being near her. Even if he could just hold her and listen to her breathing he’d be content.

  Twenty minutes later he parallel parked in front of her house and sat there. The same tension that always rode him was there, but being closer to Corrine tamed it—most of the time. Her lights were off and he knew he should just go home. But instead he grabbed his cell phone and dialed her number.

  She answered on the first ring. Her voice was softer than it was in the office and he wondered what she was wearing. He’d noticed she changed her attitude with her clothing. “It’s Rand.”

  “Hey,” she said. Her voice was dreamy and sleepy. And he knew he should just put the car in Drive and go home.

  “Did I wake you?” he asked. If he had, he’d leave. It’d kill him to go home to his dark, empty house in Winter Park, but he’d do it, dammit. He wasn’t a cad. He was a Pearson. A gentleman through and through. No matter how high the cost, no one had ever seen him behave as anything but a gentleman. Corrine wasn’t going to be the first.

  “No. I’m reading. Long day?” she asked. He heard the springs of her bed creak as she changed positions. Or maybe it was only his imagination. He doubted it. He knew she was in bed…imagined her there wearing something slim-fitting and sexy.

  “The longest.” Made longer by the ache in his soul to claim this woman again. To make love to her until exhaustion took them both and he could no longer think.

  “I’m sorry. I missed you at dinner.”

  Her words were a salve for his soul, for that weary part of himself that had been alone too long. She called to a part of his soul he’d walled off long ago and made him wish he was a better man. “Good.”

  She chuckled. “That’s one of the things I like about you.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “That self-confidence. I wish I had an eighth of it.”

  Would she still like him if she realized it was all a role he’d written for himself to play? He wasn’t sure she would. He’d long ago decided he liked himself better when he was pretending to be the good son.

  “Speaking of self-confidence…” Despite his training in manners and deportment he knew there wasn’t a right way to invite yourself for a sleepover.

  “Yes.”

  “Would you let me in if I showed up on your front door?” he asked.

  “Maybe.”

  Damn, she kept him on his toes. “What would it take to make it a yes?”

  He heard her sigh, then the sound of the bedsprings creaking again. If she turned him away he knew he was going to spend the night with the most lurid fantasies of her twisting beneath him on a creaking bed, with only the sounds of her moans and the bed filling the room.

  “You did promise me dessert.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” There had been no time to stop at a bakery. But he had something for her that was just as satisfying as a chocolate dessert but with none of the calories.

  “Mmm, hmm,” Corrine said.

  She was teasing him. He liked it. He thought this might be the problem with Corrine. He plain liked too much about her and he knew from experience and life that things he wanted the most were the ones he never got to keep. “You won’t be disappointed. I guarantee it.”

  “Is that an ironclad, money-back guarantee?” she asked, her voice dropping a notch.

  “Oh, yeah.” He was getting hard, sitting in front of her house and talking to her. He wanted to be in there with her, to let her tease him while they were cuddled close to each other. So he could let things develop to their natural conclusion and then he’d make her forget all about teasing him.

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “Parked outside your house.”

  “What if my answer is no?”

  “Then I’ll drive home and take a cold shower.”

  “Really?”

  “Really,” he said.

  “I don’t want to be responsible for that. Why don’t you come in?”

  He switched off the phone and tossed it on the seat. He didn’t want to appear too eager, but hell, he’d just invited himself over. She had all the power in this situation. He didn’t ring the bell since she knew he was out there.

  She didn’t turn on the lights, just opened the front door and stepped back. There was a faint light at the end of the hallway and he could barely make out her face. She wore a voluminous gown that flowed around her when she turned and walked back up the hall. Though not the slim-fitting one of his imagination—still sexy as hell. He closed and locked the door. And then followed her.

  Her bedroom was large and had a sitting area off to one side. At first all he could do was stare at her bed. It wasn’t overly large but had a wrought-iron bedstead that he immediately pictured her wrists tied to.

  He should have guessed with all that creaking earlier that she’d have a bed made for sex. There was a mound of pillows at the head and he could still see the faint indentation from her body.

  He glanced around the room. She’d set up a cold supper on the coffee table in the sitting area. He realized she’d been waiting up for him.

  “What if I hadn’t come by?” he asked, unsure of himself suddenly.

  “I’d have been disappointed.”

  He was humbled.

  “Come and eat. Then we can talk.”

  He knew he shouldn’t let himself be so comfortable with her, but for once he silenced the voice inside his head. Shrugging out of his jacket, he sat on the love seat. Corrine curled up next to him as he ate. The tension that was always his companion grew a little tighter deep inside.

  Despite the long day he’d put in, a kind of kinetic energy buzzed around Rand. He talked a little about his job and ate in a way that only a man could. She’d thought she’d kept out too much food, but he finished it all in rather little time.

  A nervous excitement bubbled inside her. Rand made her feel alive in a dangerous and exciting way. A part of it was the way he watched her and made her aware of him as a man. The other part was…well…purely sexual.

  She’d made her plans for the night very carefully. There were things she’d always wanted to try but she’d never trusted a man enough before. But things were different with Rand and with her. After watching him leave the last time, after being so totally at his mercy, she’d decided she’d be a full participant or none at all.

  When he was done he turned to her with that white-hot gleam in his eyes. “Well?”

  “Has your hunger been satisfied?” she asked. Having made her decision to see this thing between them through to the end, she felt free. It was as if she’d cast aside whatever inhibitions she had. She was going to enjoy every second of her time
with Rand.

  “One of them.”

  She stood, removing her white silk robe. His breath hissed in through his teeth and his eyes narrowed as he saw the white teddy and thigh-high hose she wore underneath. She’d never owned a piece of fancy lingerie before. Her drawers were stuffed with cotton bras and panties that were utilitarian. “Let’s see what we can do about the other one.”

  Taking him by the hand, she led him to her bed. With a slight shove she forced him to sit on the edge of the mattress. “Take off your shoes and socks.”

  “Are you in charge tonight?” he asked.

  “I did just feed you.”

  “You have a point.”

  He bent and removed his socks and shoes, then removed his belt and tie, as well. “That’s enough.”

  He raised one eyebrow at her in that manner of his that now just excited her rather than annoyed her. “I’m all yours.”

  “Lean back on the bed.”

  He did. She knew it was now or never. Be gutsy. Starting at his neck she undid the buttons of his shirt and pushed it from his shoulders. When the shirt was at his elbows, she stopped pushing it off and tied the sleeves together very neatly. Trapping his arms.

  He raised one eyebrow at her in question.

  “You mentioned bondage,” she said.

  “I didn’t imagine I’d be the one tied up.”

  “I did,” she said with a grin.

  “Go for it,” he said.

  “I intend to.”

  His chest had enticed her since she’d seen him bare it on the beach. And the last time they’d had sex she’d been too caught up in her own feelings to really learn what he liked. Tonight was her chance.

  She scraped her nail lightly over his pectorals. The muscle jumped under her finger. She leaned down and blew gently on his nipple. It tightened and the surrounding flesh was covered with goose bumps. “Like that?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  She lowered her head. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she dropped butterfly kisses all over his chest. He tensed his arms, straining against his shirt as she neared his nipple. First she licked the flat brown flesh and then when he moaned, she bit very lightly. His hips lifted from the bed and he groaned deep in his throat.

  The sound sent shock waves through her. She felt her own body growing heavy as she touched him. She trailed her mouth down his skin, licking and biting at his rock-hard abs and stomach. When she reached the barrier of his waistband, she settled back on her haunches and toyed with the button.

  “Don’t tease me.”

  “I thought you liked anticipation.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m going to explode in another minute.”

  “Good.”

  She bent and took the tab between her teeth, pulling it slowly down. Then she slid her hand inside the placket and fondled him through his underwear. His breath hissed through his teeth and his hands were fisted.

  She knew he was reaching the breaking point. So was she. The flesh between her legs was moist and ready to be filled by him. She tugged his pants down, stopping again before they were completely off, leaving the fabric just below his knees.

  She caressed the corded tendons in his thighs. Damn, he had nice muscles. And then traced the line of hair from his chest to his groin. His penis was hard and red. She tiptoed her fingers around him. Watched as he grew even larger at her touch. Bending, she dropped kisses on his thighs and the bottom of his abdomen, letting her hair brush over his erection.

  “Now,” he said.

  Until that moment she hadn’t realized that position had nothing to do with power. Just hearing his voice was enough to make her want to respond. But it was her show. She unfastened the snaps between her legs that held the teddy closed and then slid up over him.

  The first touch of their naked loins made each of them sigh. She reached between their bodies and positioned him before sinking down on him.

  She heard the fabric of his shirt rip a second before his hands came up. Fondling her breasts through the lace of her teddy. One hand snaked around her back and nudged her shoulders forward until her breasts dangled within reach of his hungry mouth. He suckled her and his hands caressed her legs and buttocks.

  She gripped his shoulders as exquisite sensation flooded her. She was so close to the edge. She tipped her head back and tightened herself around his flesh and felt the first contraction sweep through her. He felt it, too, as he grabbed her hips and pulled her down into his thrusts. She moaned his name as her climax rushed through her. He released her nipple and thrust into her three more times before roaring his completion.

  She sank down onto him and closed her eyes. Reality said this couldn’t last, but she couldn’t regret the time they spent together. She knew he’d leave her one day, but didn’t dwell on that. Instead, she held him tightly in her arms and enjoyed his strength and warmth.

  Eight

  Rand kicked off his pants and threw aside the remains of his shirt. She watched him warily, as if not sure how he’d react to her bondage play. And he wanted to keep her guessing.

  If only for a few more minutes. The woman was too sexy for her own good. Fulfilling fantasies he’d only admitted to having to himself.

  She held all the cards in this thing between them. She’d surprised him this evening. He’d have expected her, the women he’d come to know after a year of working together, to have refused to let him come into her home. But this was a new Corrine.

  The soft Corrine, with her hair down and her sexy lingerie, touched the tender part of his soul. The part that had stopped growing the night Charles had died in the car.

  The need for her was so all-consuming that it washed away his longing for the bottle. At least temporarily. He pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on the lovely blonde who was all his.

  “Your turn,” he said. He was having an X-rated fantasy involving her hose binding her wrists to the wrought-iron headboard. He wanted to hear the springs on the bed creak as he thrust into her hips. He wanted to love her slowly and for a long time.

  One time wasn’t enough. Hell, twice wasn’t enough. There was a part of him that feared he’d never get his fill of her. And he already had one thirst that could never be quenched, he didn’t need another one.

  “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

  He knew she meant the words to sound flirty but they came out worried. “You should have thought of the consequences of your actions. You know I play to win.”

  She scooted back on the bed, reaching around for her robe. That white silk that made her look untouchable.

  “You liked it, don’t deny it,” she said.

  “I loved every second of it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want my chance to be in charge.”

  “You’re always in charge. I’m not sure I can surrender my control.”

  “I did it.”

  “Your will kept you my captive. You broke the bonds easily.”

  “Do you honestly believe I’d do anything to hurt you?”

  “No,” she said, the word barely a whisper.

  He expected more of the teasing play that they’d fallen into. But instead her eyes were very serious and he knew he’d stumbled into one of the secrets she was keeping. It was funny how they both had things they didn’t want to discuss. Was this a healthy relationship? He doubted it. But then he’d never really had a healthy one.

  He crawled up next to her. Propped two pillows against the headboard and then tugged her down until she was in his arms, her head resting right over his heart. She made him feel bigger and stronger than he was. For her he’d fight battles. For her he wanted to be better than he was and that scared him.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked.

  She swallowed and looked away. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

  “Tell me,” he said, tipping her head back so their gazes met.

  She walked her fingers over his chest. He sensed her intent was not to arouse him but to distract him, yet his body couldn�
�t tell the difference and he felt himself start to harden. It was too soon, he thought. He shouldn’t want her again—not yet.

  “Promise not to laugh.”

  “Promise,” he said. What had he done to convince her that he’d ridicule whatever she’d reveal to him? He knew then that he couldn’t just want to be better than he’d been before. He had to be better. Or he’d wind up hurting Corrine in ways he didn’t want to.

  “I’m not sure where you fit in my world.”

  “I think I fit nicely right here,” he said, tightening his arms around her.

  “I don’t have a personal life. Just work, and the lines don’t blur…or they haven’t until you.”

  “Corrine, I’m not getting it.”

  “You know I was an orphan. Well, I created a picture-perfect image in my head of what my home life should be. I’ve created that here. It’s a nice, safe world that I don’t have to worry about losing.”

  “What does this have to do with me?”

  “You don’t fit here.”

  Her words cut him and he couldn’t help it; he stiffened and pulled away.

  But she cupped his jaw and gave him the most exquisite kiss. It was deep and carnal but at the same time touched something emotional inside that he was uncomfortable admitting he felt.

  “I never put another person in this equation and I’m flying blind here.”

  “I’d say you did pretty well tonight.”

  “Well, I’ve always wanted to try some different things but never trusted a man enough to do it.”

  He rubbed her arm and felt that tension deep inside him squeeze tighter. “I don’t know that I fit in your world here. But I think I could provide you with a place to experiment.”

  “I’m not just talking about sex.”

  “Of course you aren’t.”

  “I mean sex is a part of it, too, but not just the only thing I want from you.”

  “What else do you want to do? Find your parents?” he asked, wanting to understand.

  “No.”

  “Why not? It might give you some closure.” Closure was something that had given him some peace. He still had to visit Charles’s grave on the anniversary of his death. He still had to celebrate his brother on their birthday. Closure for him had come with remembering that just because a person died didn’t mean they’d never lived.